Vampire Crawlers is a wonderful follow-up to a game I hold dear. It translates seamlessly from the bullet-heaven genre into the deck building genre. While there are a few frustrating levels and as of now a lack of endgame content to keep me going, there’s enough here to justify playing this for hours on end and keep you engaged. If you’re a fan of Slay the Spire or Balatro, Vampire Crawlers is absolutely a must grab, even if you have no prior experience with Vampire Survivors.

For those looking for a shorter, narrative driven game to dive into, I highly recommend The Posthumous Investigation. It’s an intriguing character study that keeps you guessing and makes you wonder, who truly was the culprit and why? What in the human condition made this man both so loved and hated? You’ll have to play to find out.

It’s always nice to see an IP within a genre that’s difficult to stand out it. While it may never reach the heights of giants like Pokemon, Digimon, etc, it’s important that there are fresh experiences. It’s wonderful when one can take heavy inspirations from these giants as well, while truly making them their own. Monster Crown: Sin Eater deserves a place in the hearts of gamers who love the monster taming, RPG genre. It’s a beautiful, yet dark and dangerous world. Teeming with monsters and people struggling under the weight of evil, fans of the genre should experience the world of Monster Crown: Sin Eater.

For those looking for a video game that feels like a warm bath after a long day, Hozy is one to sink into. With versatility in design comes so much replayability. No pressure, no time limits, just a great game to relax with.

PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid’s Curse is a fantastic story that may even make you wish the game was slightly longer. For those who want a mystery that transcends a lifetime set in a beautiful fishing village backdrop, this is for you. While not puzzle heavy, when they appear, they are well thought out and clever. When focused on the narrative, the story is well paced. The writing is smart enough to reiterate the things you need to know without feeling too repetitive. After this entry into the series, I hope Square Enix knows they have something precious in their hands and continues to revisit this series in the future.

Fishbowl is a game that you need to accept with open arms and an open mind. A game that attempts, and at often times succeeds, in making you empathetic to Alo’s emotional state and perhaps even make you reflect in yours. They do this through their great usage of simple gameplay mechanics, art direction, sound, and music. It’ll make you happy. It’ll make you sad. It’s a game that you need to be ready for in order to fully appreciate, if you’ll let it.

Everything about People of Note feels new, refreshing, and fun; elements that have been remixed into its own style. You can tell how much love Iridium Studios put into their game. While it could use some fine tuning before it can be a masterpiece, this is a beat that you shouldn’t miss. I highly recommend it.

Everything about John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando just works. SnowRunner with Zombies about sums it up. So far, I’m having an absolute blast. With each completion giving me enough to upgrade something to make me feel a little bit stronger. I haven’t been able to complete a very hard mission yet, but I’m getting so close. With a couple more levels and full communicating squad, that Sludge God will be mincemeat.

The creatures and people you meet (well, eat) are caught up in this living nightmare. Some, like the Fish Men in the swamp may think they’re the real antagonists as they hunt explorers to sacrifice to their own horrifying gods. And they may well be, in the H.P. Lovecraft stories that the Roots Devour devs clearly have a great fondness for, but not here. Here you are the horror. You are the thing moving just out of sight. Writhing. Hateful. Ravenous.

Hyper Games has successfully captured the unique duality of the Moomin stories - the whimsical charm of helping neighbors balanced against the slight, beautiful melancholy of a lonely Scandinavian winter.

To summarize my previous ramblings, I honestly loved what I was presented in Dead in Antares. It truly did feel as though each of the decisions that you made had some level of impact on the rest of your gameplay and didn’t just feel like going through the motions because we had to. Coupled with the gorgeous artwork, ambient soundtrack, and interesting story, Dead in Antares was a solid entry in my gaming logs and has definitely nudged me to check out the other properties from Ishtar Games.

If you’re looking for a hidden object puzzle game to revisit that childlike wonder without sacrificing substance and finesse, Lost and Found Co. is the one to find.

While making sure that every item is in its correct location, balanced perfectly, and faced in the correct way; a tedious yet relaxing task, zoned out as if in a meditative state, and lost in your own thoughts, time stops. While you’re absorbing all the stories and requests your customers have, arriving one at a time, indulging in their lives, your outlet to the outside world, nothing else matters. inKONBINI is a reverie, a narrative driven game that needs some engagement, but only asking from you what you want to give it. It nails the very atmosphere of a quiet, slow, nighttime 1993 experience. While its stories could be better delivered through voiced dialogue, it’s an experience I would highly recommend if you are looking for a reverie.

Cleaning Up is not a game to sweep under the rug. If you’re looking for a satisfying clean up game to spark some joy, this mess-terpiece is one to try.

As Max and Chloe have grown to young adulthood in Reunion, the series has matured in equal measure. Reunion ends Max and Chloe’s love story in the right way. More than simply fan service, this is a finale that delivers love to the Arcadia Baes, the series and its fans.

Well... I guess persistence pays off. While Bubsy 4D may be over too soon, it's still an overall very fun platformer and Bubsy is finally a likeable protagonist. If this is what the future holds for the bobcat, What could possibly go wrong?

Overall I had a blast with High On Life 2 from start to finish. With improved gameplay and in my opinion improved writing as well, fans of the first game and maybe even some detractors will find a lot to like here. Although the reduced metroidvania elements are disappointing and some tech issues can be annoying, it wasn't nearly enough to bring the overall experience down. If Squanch decides to go with High On Life 3, I await it greatly.

Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime is a refreshing palette cleanser. It’s a game that doesn’t take itself seriously but takes its message of self-love very seriously. The Frogtime battle mechanics are surprisingly deep and I’m very excited to keep pulling from Booster Eggs to try and get a super rare Colossal Frog and make it to the top of the Battle Tower. It’s weird, it’s musical, and it’s deeply charming.

It took me roughly 9 hours to uncover the truth of I Hate This Place. The story, aesthetics, sound design (minus the VA), and combat were awesome. In fact, everything apart from the crafting was fantastic, making I Hate This Place well worth your time. Just don’t expect too much from the crafting and farm management elements.

Kejora, despite the occasional flaws that I noted, was a pleasure to experience. The story spoke to matters of protecting those around you and what you would do to ensure the safety of others, and did so in a nice, concise few hour package. And in a world of video games that ask upwards of 100 hours of gameplay to finish (yes, I play JRPG’s if you weren’t aware), a brief tale like Kejora is a welcome experience.

Accomplished storytelling intertwined with satisfying gunplay and a truly tremendous island to explore, Crisol stands tall as an excellent AA horror title in a year where the genre will see some big hitters. Aside from a couple of over complicated, puzzles I sincerely hope this isn’t the last horror shooter we see from Vermila.

Despite some technical issues, I had a great time with Demon Tides, from my first double jump to my last spin rush. The beautiful world and fun character designs, the amount of customisation to both move set and character appearance, as well as the bumping soundtrack, mostly made up for any frustrations and metaphorical skinned knees I went through.

Often feeling like a game chasing greatness, Crimson Desert is in every sense of the word ambitious. Sure, Kliff’s story of revenge is one that been told a thousand times, but it’s seemingly endless open world begs you to chase the adventures beyond the horizon. When you tie this beautifully crafted playground together with a combat system that encourages the player to experiment and think outside the box, you get a game that feels impossibly complex while feeling eerily familiar in the same breath. Crimson Desert is many things – dangerously ambitious, clunky, beautiful, messy, and most importantly: mind-numbingly addictive.

If you’re looking for Castlevania of 1987 through a new skin, this is the game for you. It sounds, looks, and feels fantastic to play; a perfect “port” of an old game to 2026. However, if you’re looking for an NES-style 2D platformer with retro gameplay, but expanded upon, this might disappoint, like adding sprinkles on your vanilla ice-cream.

Although the game can get frustrating if you're playing alone, Scott Pilgrim EX is definitely worth picking up if you are a fan of brawlers. It's light on the plot but its chaotic combat and fun cast of characters more than make up for it. This is definitely a game where it's definitely better to partner up for, but frustrating or not that's pretty much the case with any brawler of this nature.

Under the Island is a fun and often wacky adventure game that wears its heart on its sleeve and does right by its inspirations.

Arcadia Fallen II is an exceptional visual novel that excels in presentation and character-driven storytelling. While its choice systems and roleplaying elements don’t fully reach their potential, its excellent voice acting, clear structure, and exceptional cast make it an easy recommendation, especially for players looking for a more relaxed, story-focused experience. Don’t hesitate to dive right into this game, even if you’ve never experienced the original.

The Caribou Trail left me caring for an unknown war story. Fisher, Gordon and Lonnie’s human tale of small island men being cast into a global conflict is equal parts sombre and heartwarming. The title’s great voice acting and audio design immersed me into this short story deeply.